Installing Factory Delco-Bose Radio Need Help

Hello All,
I recently purchased a 94 Deville Concours. The radio in it, a Delco-Bose Active Audio, model #16163906 was not hooked up. The original harnesses have been cut. I have only the individual wires. I found some radio wiring diagrams for most cadillacs but the colors do not match this system. I believe this is the correct unit for the car because it is a remote unit, and there is a reciever in the trunk. There is also an amp in the trunk.

So far, I've only been able to figure out that there are 3 hot wires comming from the car, 1 red/white, 1 orange, 1 yellow, and 1 black ground. I have no idea where to connect these to the head unit. Also there is a dark green wire on the head unit, that lights up the unit whenever I connect any of the hot wires to it, but it doesn't respond to any on/off, tape/cd functions simply with this connection. I did hook up a spare aftermarket radio and got it to turn on, but no sound came out trying to connect the speaker wires to the remaining wires coming from the car. I guess that was beacuse I didn't activate the amp. I really want to use the factory head unit that came with the car.

I guess I need a wiring or pinout diagram for this head unit, and for the wires coming from the car. Can anyone help please. The car is nice but some sounds while driving would be great. Can anyone provide some guidance or diagrams?

Re: Installing Factory Delco-Bose Radio Need Help

I believe the reason you did'nt get any sound from the aftermarket headunit is because the factory speakers operate on a different frequency. A aftermarket headunit will not work with the factory amp, you have to bypass it. If the previous owner had an aftermarket headunit installed he/she may have installed aftermarket speakers in the car.

I had the same situation with my Cadillac, power but no sound when I installed the aftermarket headunit. I ended up replacing all four speakers and eliminating the factory amp altogether, IMO I think you will be more satisfied with a upgraded headunit; again just MY opinion! Good luck!

Re: Installing Factory Delco-Bose Radio Need Help

Ok so I went to a salvage yard and I found a Delco-Bolse Gold Series remote unit with the harness attached. I plug it in thinking everything would be fine....but alas, it would take cd's and cassettes's but there was no digital read out or indication of whether it was set to tape or cd. The only time I got a digital display was when I pressed the rcl button (and I have no idea what it does) and then it give some blank lines like --:- I did this with two units and got the same result so I think it was a matter of incorrect wiring, and not that the units didn't work. Most of the color of wires were the same, the only difference was that there was a red/white stripe wire from the car with 12V constant and no red/white stripe on the remote unit's harness but there was a second yellow wire on the harness. if only there was a pinout diagram for this system.

Anyway I've given up hope on getting the factory unit to work, and am now moving on to installing an aftermarket unit, but I'm a little confused about a few things.
1. Is there a harness that I can attach to the aftermarket unit that will let me plugin to original harness at the dash and use the amp and speakers?

2. I don't understand the concept of moving the remote unit to the trunk...what does it connect to back there

3. If I have to run wires from the trunk to the aftermarket radio in the dash, which wires do I connect to in order to get all 11 speakers working in this amped system?

Re: Installing Factory Delco-Bose Radio Need Help

In a '94 is the original Bose head unit part of the theft system and serial data bus - as in later models ?? If so, you now have theft detection and electronic problems with modules "talking" with one another because the head unit is programmed with your car's VIN - during startup the head unit and ECM communicate, and if there's a data hiccup the car eventually will not start.

Re: Installing Factory Delco-Bose Radio Need Help

Guys I just bought a nice 94 Concours. The radio turns on but all it gets is static has anybody got information on where to start troubleshooting this problem..Thanks for any advice you can pass along.